In My Veins
by A Gold Guitar Charm
Summary: "Screw those people Marls, you're amazing, kind, and by far more interesting than anyone I have ever met" Jake says, squeezing her hand. - Jake/Marley. A one shot that's split into fifteen sections. Pre/Mid/Post 4x07


_when i look into your eyes, i__t's like watching the night sky_

_or a beautiful sunrise; there's so much they hold.*_

* * *

_one._

It's two minutes before they go on stage, that he see's them kiss. Jake felt a piece of his heart-break off, because he Jake Puckerman is supposed to be the one kissing her, not Ryder, but he quickly shrugs it off. All throughout the performance, he tried to keep his eyes off Marley, and just stay focused on playing 'Putzie', but he couldn't. She looked absolutely spectacular in her tight black Sandy costume, and her curled 50's hair. But he willed himself to focus, as he snapped back into character for the rest of the night.

_two._

The next day, he sees Marley at her locker, her silky hair hanging down around her shoulders as she exchanged some books and placed them into her red backpack. He walks up to her. "Hey." Marley looks up, his familiar voice filling her ears. "Hey, Jake." "I just came over to tell you that you where fantastic last night, and you looked and sounded _stunning._" Marley's blue eyes widened. "Really? Thank you so much," she responded gratefully, flashing him a genuine smile. "I'll see you in glee club later okay?" Jake said, giving her one last smile before turning, and disappearing down the hall; leaving a flushed Marley behind.

_three._

At 3:30 that afternoon, Marley walks into glee club and takes a seat beside Jake, who looks over at her with a smile, and she smiles back. As Finn talks about sectionals, Marley can feel Jake's eyes wandering over to her face now and then, and her favorite part, is when she catches him and they both smile at each other, their hearts beating quickly at the sight of one another. As Finn chooses Marley to sing today's solo, she gets up and walks over to the piano player and whispers a song into his ear, before walking over to the stool, and sitting down. As the introduction begins playing, and Marley's luscious voice fills the room, Jake realizes what song she's singing. It's the song he sang at his audition: Never Say Never by The Fray. Throughout the song, Marley's eyes land on Jake, and she feels herself smile, as he smiles back at her.

_four._

The entire glee club has dressed up as various superheroes for the day. Jake personally, thought it was cliché and stupid. As he walks down the hall, he walks up to Marley's locker again. "So, are you jumping onto his superhero bandwagon?" Marley's blue eyes meet his as she shakes her head. "A club were I have to wear full body spandex? It's not really my thing.." Jake smiles. "Good, so that means you'll be free to hang out, Friday night, you and me, what do you say?" Marley looks at him. "Uhm, I -" Ryder walks over. "Marley has plans on Friday dude, the football team's got an away game, and I asked her if she would come cheer us on." "You see Jake it's funny, girls don't like when you make it seem like you're really into them, and then totally blow them off." Jake's smile fades. "You know what 'dude'? I don't remember asking for your opinion." "Guy's don't do this," says Marley, who was leaning against her locker, but that doesn't help. "Woah, woah, you're intimidating." Ryder continues. "Let me ask you a question, what kind of name is 'Ryder Lynn' anyway? Cause it sounds like you parents name you after a cowgirl dow that comes with her own pony." Marley rolls her eyes, a little frustrated.

"Look dude, I don't want any trouble, I know you're a bad-ass " "You know how I now that you're such a bad-ass? Because you ride a razor scooter."Nothing says 'I'm a bad-ass. like a razor scooter." Jake had enough. He pushed Ryder, and Ryder then dropped his backpack as Jake dropped his, just as Ryder shoved him in return. "Guys stop! This is stupid!" Marley cries, but they ignore her. They are just getting into it when Finn walks by and sees the commotion. "Hey! Hey! Cut it out!" Finn runs towards them and breaks them up. "I persuade you to stop fighting," says Tina almost majestically . "Freeze bitches," they hear Becky say. "Thanks guys. Glee club is in twenty minutes." Finn concludes before walking away.

_five._

Marley stops herself from scowling as Finn asks the glee club to welcome their two new members; Kitty and Ryder. When Tina says that they should vote on her, but Finn interjects stating that they need 12 members to compete at sectionals, and how great she was in their production of _Grease. _As Finn turns and walks towards the whiteboard and picks the marker, then drops it and begins looking for the spares, Marley finds herself thinking back to the time just thirty minutes ago when Jake had asked her if she'd wanted to hang out with him on Friday night. She had been a bit hesitant but just as she had been sure about her response, Ryder had walked up, and stolen the words from her mouth, and then the fight erupted. As the rest of the glee club members change the subject and begin talking the missing nationals trophy, Marley finds herself looking at Jake, who looks up at her, and gives a sad smile, and she feels like hell.

_six._

_The freaking nerve Finn had to pair her and Kitty together for a duet_, Marley thinks as she stands at her locker the next day, just as Kitty walks over to her, and shoves a white piece of paper in her face, the title reading "Holding Out For A Hero." With wide eyes, Marley takes the paper from her. "Isn't it part of the assignment that we choose the song _together_?" Marley questions. "The assignment is Dynamic Duets, and I took the liberty of choosing a song to show off my vocal capacity, while at the same time your mousy softness." Kitty answers. "Well can we at least talk about what superheroes we're going to portray?" Marley says. "You can talk all you want, but I've already decided: Femme Fatale, cause in french that means 'Kill Women'," Kitty continues. Marley rolls her eyes muttering under her breath. "I know duh." "Which is what I'm going to do when I perform." Kitty concludes, before walking away.

_seven._

Jake and Ryder end up performing first, which resulted in them both trying the serenade Marley, at the same time. But it didn't work out well at all as they end up fighting mid-song and tumbling straight into a music stand. Finn then kicks them out of the room and takes them to the auditorium. "I can't believe you guys! Starting a fight in the middle of your duet?" Finn takes a deep breath as he paces back and forth. "You're supposed to get along!" "Look Finn, I hear you I do, but I just don't like this guy!" Ryder says gesturing towards Jake. "He's working his way through every girl at this school, and I think that Marley deserves better! That's when Jake snaps. "You have no idea what Marley wants, or deserves!" He yells back, his blood boiling. "Enough!" yells Finn. "Clearly you did not take anything from my last assignment so I'm going to give you a new one." "Will it also be lame?" Jake questions. "Ignoring you," replies Finn. "It's a kryptonite lesson. You two think you hate each other? You think you don't understand each other." "So I want you to sit in a room and tell each other your deepest fears." "Only by admitting your deepest fears, can you realize your strengths." "You sound like Yoda dude," Ryder implies, but Finn just continues. "Deal do we have?"

_eight._

Jake ends up telling Ryder about his deepest fear, which was about how people would make fun of him because he was half black, half white, half kosher, calling him names like "kosher cappuccino." Ryder then ends up telling Jake that he made him verbally admit his fear, because he couldn't read it, and rushes out, leaving a puzzled Jake behind.

_nine._

It didn't take long for Jake to figure out what was wrong with Ryder. And it didn't take long for him to track Finn down in the hallway and tell him about Ryder's condition, which lead to Finn taking Ryder to see the schools education specialist.

After a series of oral and calligraphy tests, Ryder walked out the room only to be greeted by Finn, who was standing by the lockers. "It isn't a brain tumor is it?" Finn asks. "No, it turns out I have dyslexia." "I'm sorry." Finn says. "You know, my whole life it's been," "Ryder just need to apply himself." "Ryder's smart. He just needs to work harder. Focus." "Get it together. Man Up." Finn sees the redness of Ryder's eyes as they momentarily make eye contact. "But inside man, I knew they were all wrong." "It didn't matter how hard I focused, or how hard I worked." "I was stupid." Finn feels his heart constrict. Ryder was tearing his heart to shreds. Finn clears his throat. "You know what man, you're going to be okay, Alright? Just because your brain works differently then everyone else's it doesn't mean your stupid. With some extra help and time, you will do better, okay? I Promise." "Okay." Ryder replies hesitantly, before walking off, shoving his hands into his pockets.

_ten._

Marley is grabbing her English binder, when Ryder walks up to her. "Hey listen, I hate to do this but I have to reschedule our date on Friday." Marley looks at him shocked. "What? Why?" "I have to study," Ryder says simply. Marley's furrows her brows, confused. Ryder looks around to make sure no one's watching and lowers his voice. "I have my first appointment with a dyslexia specialist on Saturday, and he's like the best in Ohio, so like he can only squeeze me in at 7 a.m. So I have to go straight home after the game." "Oh, well I was really looking forward to hanging out with you." Marley says, disappointment lingering in her voice. "Me too, it's just this is really important, and I want this semester to be the first with a A on my report card." Ryder adds. "How about next Friday?" Marley takes a deep breath. "Sure," she replies with a smile. Just as she turns back to her locker. Kitty walks over. "Ouch, that sounded like the beginning of the end." "What do you mean?" Marley asks. "_I can't go out because I have to study_, sounded an awful lot like I'm not that into you." "Well he has to get up early to see a doctor," defends Marley, closing her locker. " Is that what it is? Or is it those yogurt covered raisins? "Don't listen to what everybody else is saying, I don't think you look bloated at all. " Kitty momentarily pauses from filing her nails. "If you want to get his attention, then you should really hit the elliptical, stat." Marley takes a deep breath before speaking. "You know what? The old Marley would be staying home alone on a Friday night, but the new super heroine Marley, is not gonna wait around." Spinning on her heel, Marley charges over to Jake's locker. "Hi." Jake looks up at her. "What are you doing Friday night?" Marley questions. "Going on a date with you." Jake replies. "Good." Marley states confidently before turning and walking to her next class, a big smile on her face.

_eleven._

The past two days went by in a blur. Before she knew it, it had already become Friday. Marley was in her bedroom, braiding a piece of her hair, and securing it with a bobby pin. She had chosen a simple blue skirt that fell four inches above her knees, a light heather gray blouse, and her favorite black booties, which she'd gotten as a Christmas gift. As she kissed her mom goodbye and made her way to breadstix, a nervous flutter couldn't help but stir in her stomach.

_twelve._

Jake's eyes became transfixed on Marley as she made her way through the door of breadstix, and towards their table. "Hey," she said. "Hey Marley, you look great." A blush crept across her cheeks. "Thanks Jake, I appreciate it." "Anything for you." Jake replied, flashing her a smile, as he stood up to pull back a chair for her, and pushed her in, when she sat down. Once Jake sat back down, he looked at Marley. "So, Tell me about yourself."

_thirteen._

He could listen to her speak all night. Her voice was absolutely wonderful to listen to. Jake couldn't keep his eyes off Marley, as she told him about her childhood, her hobbies, and her relationship with her mother, and he loved how her cheeks would flush red when she told him an embarrassing story. "Marley, you're such an interesting person." Jake said, his eyes still trained on her stunning face. "You really think so? Most people I tell my life about to, think I'm plain, boring, and as complicated as a blank piece of paper" Marley replied, her smile drooping. "Screw those people Marls, you're amazing, kind, and by far more interesting than anyone I have ever met" Jake says, squeezing her hand, feeling electricity course through his veins, from where his palm touched her fingers. He didn't release her hand for another ten seconds.

fourteen.

After learning about each other over a delicious dinner, Jake and Marley decided to head back to school, and sat on the empty bleachers, which surrounded the football field that was now deserted. "I've always loved looking at the stars," Marley said as she craned her neck up to gaze at the stars that littered the night's black sky. "Me too, ever since I was a kid." Jake added. A few minutes of silence passed before he moved closer to her. "You drive me crazy you know?" Marley's blue eyes settled on him. "Actually? Because you drive me closer too." Marley said honestly.

_fifteen._

It was true, Jake Puckerman made her feel happy, sad, angry and jealous, all at once, but most of all her made her feel pulchritudinous; physically beautiful."Marley Rose have no idea hard my heart pounds when you look at me," he states, taking her hand and placing it over his heart, where sure enough, his hard was beating like he'd just gone for a run. It absolutely blew her mind that she made him feel like this. "You make me feel that way too." Marley replied, the nervous flutter in her stomach growing with each word. Without warning, Jake gently took Marley's face in his hands, and studied the features that made up her lovely face, before gently pressing his lips on hers. The kiss wasn't rough or messy; instead it was sweet and passionate. It was a kiss that sent shivers through their bodies, even though there was no wind. Marley placed her hands on his leather clad shoulders as the kiss deepened, and his fingertips had somehow found their way into her hair. They kissed until they felt dizzy, and pulled away slowly, Jake's hands still caressing her face. He could smell the light scent of her flowery perfume, and see the smile that made its way across her lips. This night couldn't have been anymore perfect, as he was here with the one girl that made him feel like he was on top of the world.

* * *

**A/N:**Thanks for reading, and I hope this didn't disappoint! Reviews are always appreciated; xo.


End file.
